The next day at dinnertime, Sulli was all aglow, telling Omma and me about her amazing date. I watched Omma closely, wondering if she would play the uber-protective parent. But incredibly, she actually seemed to be okay with the idea of Sulli dating.

“Omma, he is really something! Such a gentleman, and oh! He wants to meet you!”

“Chincha?” Omma said, gathering her rice into a ball. “Why? What does he want from me.”

“C’mon, Omma, you’re my family!” Sulli was almost shrieking in excitement, and even Omma’s hard, weathered face was forced to break out into smile.

“Isn’t it too early for meeting the parents?” Omma said, though a hint of humor lingered in her tone.

“What?! No! Omma, you’re really important to me, and he’s really important to me… Doesn’t it make sense that you both meet??”

“Well… If you like, invite him to dinner tomorrow.”

I almost dropped my soon in surprise.

Omma was always so conservative that until this point, I was thoroughly convinced she was a nun in a past life. But apparently, Omma was really comfortable with the idea of Sulli dating. Faintly, I wondered if she would have reacted the same way if I was the one who brought home news of a boy.

As if I had anyone in mind.

“Chincha?? Oh, Omma! You’re gonna love him!”

Omma ducked down, trying to hide her smile as she ate. Sulli, invigorated, kept prattling on about Woohyun. And I felt a strange sense of relief. I was really glad to know Omma’s stance on us dating. It felt like Sulli paved the way so that I didn’t have to worry about Omma’s approval in that sense any more.

Though as the older sister, I wondered briefly if I was supposed to be paving the way.

I began to really look forward to meeting the guy. I remembered that I had an important role to play. I needed to make sure that this Woohyun person was a good fit for my sister. Because above all else, I love Sulli, and there’s no way in hell I would let her settle for someone if she deserves better.

*******

The next day was colder, and I felt weirdly anxious. I did my part cleaning and cooking, and tried not to lose my patience with Omma’s incessant nagging. Then, I washed up and pulled out an outfit that I won’t admit I thought really hard about. A peach knit dress and grey leggings. Perfect for the weather and the occasion without seeming to try too hard.

I pulled my hair up and set it with a white bow, and then checked on Sulli. Predictably, she was a nervous wreck, and I helped her calm down and put together an outfit that made her look lovely.

Woohyun was scheduled to arrive at 7, but Sulli, Omma, and I were dressed and ready by 6:30, waiting silently at the dinner table and pretending that we each weren’t nervous. Five ‘til, the doorbell rang, and the chime startled all of us so much that for a moment, we were motionless and bug-eyed in shock.

“Uh… I guess I’ll get it,” I said, breaking the silence. I made for the door, and just before opening it, Sulli rushed to my side, cheeks already a light shade of pink.

On our doorstep stood a very attractive young man, with a sharp nose, full lips, fluffy brown hair, and a happy twinkle in his eyes.

“Hello!” he said to me. I noticed his eyes flit almost imperceptibly towards Sulli, and his face colored a bit too before he looked back at me. “You must be Choa. Nice to finally meet you!” He bowed deeply, and I reciprocated. I mentally awarded him points on good etiquette. And then, I stepped to the side so that Sulli could be the one to invite him in.

“…Hi,” she said.

“Hello, Sulli… You look amazing.”

“Thanks. W..would you like to come in?”

“Sure. Um… I hope I dressed right for the occasion.”

“No worries!... You look great too...”

The nervous tension between them was so apparent that I wanted to chuckle out loud. I decided to help the poor lovebirds out by interjecting.

“Welcome to our house, Woohyun!” I said cheerfully as I began to close the door. “The food’s ready, so if you just head up to the kitchen--”

“Oh wait, I almost forgot!” Woohyun said, finally breaking eye contact with Sulli and turning back to me. “My brother is here too. He just forgot something in the car. Hyung!” he started calling out towards the driveway. “Hyung, come on! They’re waiting!”

Sulli got suddenly wide-eyed. “Oh my gosh! Unni, I totally forgot! I asked that his brother come to dinner too, and…with everything else going on… Mianhe!” She flashed me an exaggeratedly apologetic look, and it made me laugh.

“Sulli, don’t worry about it!” I said brightly. “It’s really not a big deal…The more the merrier, right?”

But the moment I saw who was walking up the driveway, I wanted to eat back my words. I locked eyes with the worst person ever and almost choked in disbelief. Likewise, he saw me and froze mid-stride, right in the middle of the driveway. And for the moment, we both just stood there, staring at each other. I absolutely couldn’t believe it.

Images flashed through my mind. The supermarket. The torn-down barn. The public path. The unnecessary little pen with frogs on it. And in the center of all these things, a person. With small eyes and a weird orange tint to his hair. Whose very existence lately has relied on demeaning me.

Such a terrible person. On the driveway of my freaking house. The shock of it felt like a lightning bolt down my spine.

Reflexively, I began to open my mouth, to finally give him a piece of my mind and yell at him to get off my property. But Woohyun’s deep voice broke the silence first, and what he said made me clamp up my mouth and choke down my words.

“Hyung! Hyung, what are you doing?? Come here!”

H…hyung?!, I screamed in my head. That awful person began walking closer, slowly, as if in a daze, eyes never once leaving mine. And with every step he took, the frown on my brow deepened and the cogs in my mind refused to realize the truth.

“Hyung! Are you alright? You look a little pale or something. Stop being so weird! Anyways, c’mon, let me introduce you. This is Sulli, the girl I was telling you about. And this is her older sister, Choa.”

That awful person, (Sunggyu, I guess) finally seemed to come to attention, blinking hard a couple times and regaining his composure. When he finally came near, he slowly looked from me, to Sulli, to Woohyun, and back to me. His expression was unreadable. In silence, he bowed deeply.

But I was still so shocked. Too shocked to reciprocate. I felt that I’d rather get struck by lightning than bow down to him. How could I possibly be kind to such a rude, awful person?? No! No way! I couldn't possibly do that! I respected myself too much!

“Uh… Unnie?”

Sulli’s voice snapped me out of my reverie, and I realized that Sulli and Woohyun were watching me exercise poor etiquette. Even Sunggyu had tilted his eyes up from his deep bow, to see what I would do. In the moment, I felt beyond trapped. So I gave the lamest bow I could muster, making sure to avoid his eyes. Then I whispered, “Excuse me,” and pushed passed the couple and back into the house. In a blind frenzy, I made for my room and quickly shut the door behind me. Then, I began to pace. Back. Forth. Back. Forth.

It was true. Awful, but true. The rudest person I’ve ever met is in my house. Ready to have dinner with my family. And not just any dinner. A dinner that meant the world to Sulli. A dinner where I needed to be on my best behavior. To make sure that Woohyun is a good man for my sister, and to show Sulli that I approve her new man.

No matter how I thought of it, there was only thing I could do. And that was to go back out there and be a good host. To be nice and courteous to this otherwise awful person. For Sulli.

Dammit.

The ridiculous unfairness of the situation was enough to make my eyes start watering. I focused on collecting myself, breathing hard as I paced. But then, the door clicked open, and I could hear Sulli’s cautious voice as she leaned in.

“Unni?... Is everything okay? What’s wrong?”

I took one more deep breath, turning away to wipe my eyes really quick before she saw. Pull it together, Choa. Fighting!, I thought to myself. Then, I donned my best smile and turned to her.

“It’s nothing, Sulli. C'mon. Let’s go eat.”

--

I must have watched an hour's worth of WooGyu vids tonight. It took everything I had to stop and work on this story. Lalalalalala WooGyu <3 <3